In addition to maintaining an active out-the-window scanning activity, pilots rely on various tools and displays to provide necessary information for maintaining situational awareness. Information about neighboring aircraft traffic may be visually presented on one or more onboard displays including, but not limited to, a primary flight display, a multifunction display, and/or navigation display in a top-down, moving map format. Applications such as CDTI (Cockpit Display of Traffic Information) and ACAS (Airborne Collision Avoidance System) provide the onboard display with the visual information. A source of aircraft surveillance technology such as Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) typically provides the traffic information to be displayed via a moving map display, CDTI or ACAS.
In the course of maintaining an active out-the-window scanning activity, pilots may have extended periods of time during which they are only periodically paying attention to the moving map display. Therefore, the graphic display of information on the moving map display should be such as to clearly present the information in a manner that promotes at-a-glance situational awareness.
Rotorcraft are a unique category of aircraft traffic in that a rotorcraft's status may be “hovering” or “not hovering.” Human eyes have limitations in spotting motionless objects, and discerning whether a traffic object is a rotorcraft and whether it is or is not hovering is difficult and the time consumed thereby is excessive. Therefore, it is important to the operation and safety of both fixed wing and rotary wing aircraft to be aware of hovering rotorcraft.
Accordingly, a system and method that displays graphical symbology that enables a pilot to rapidly discern that (1) a neighboring aircraft is a rotorcraft, and (2) whether the rotorcraft is hovering, is desirable. It would also be desirable to provide a system and method that enables a user to define hovering, by editing a position change (distance) within a predetermined time.